Movie review: 'The Other F Word'

The Other F Word

Rancid's Lars Frederiksen with his son, Wolfgang.

Rancid's Lars Frederiksen with his son, Wolfgang. (The Other F Word)

Mark Olsen

Punk rock dads open up

In the documentary "The Other F Word" the word implied in the title is fatherhood; the film takes a look at the seemingly contradictory transition into middle age for men who are in a working rock band and also trying to settle into a stable family life.

The most boldfaced name in the movie is likely Flea from the Red Hot Chili Peppers (interviewed alongside his daughter), but the main character who emerges is Jim Lindberg, longtime singer with the band Pennywise who also published his own book called "Punk Rock Dad." He gives the greatest insight into the struggles of being a present, active parent and husband while making a living brashly rocking out, juggling tour dates with father-daughter dances.

Featuring members of Black Flag, Everclear, Blink-182, TSOL, the Adolescents, Rancid and other bands, some of the interviews are astonishing for how emotionally raw they are, with talk of childhood sexual abuse, stillborn birth and a son lost in a car crash. Still, with the film starting as something of a pocket history of the L.A. punk scene — with sections on the state of the music industry and the notion of long-touring middle-class bands — "The Other F Word" winds up feeling scattershot and unfocused.

Rather than capturing punk brattiness maturing into wary adulthood, director Andrea Blaugrund Nevins might have been better off simply making a film solely about Lindberg.

"The Other F Word." No MPAA rating. Running time: 1 hour, 38 minutes. At the Nuart, West Los Angeles.